10-20-2026 4:19am

ACLU Privacy Expert to Speak at Medway Library on the Dangers of Flock Cameras

Alan Earls Editor

The ACLU's Gideon Epstein.

By: Michael Fahey, DeFlock Medway

On Monday, October 26 at 6:30 p.m., the Medway Public Library’s Cole Room will host a critical community education session on the privacy implications of Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs). The event, organized by the grassroots initiative DeFlock Medway, will feature Gideon Epstein, the Technology for Liberty Policy Counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Massachusetts.

This public forum comes just weeks ahead of the November 9 Fall Town Meeting, where Medway voters will decide on a citizen’s petition backed by over 400 resident signatures. The warrant article proposes a local ban on Flock Safety ALPR cameras, aiming to protect residents from unwarranted mass surveillance.

Epstein is at the forefront of the ACLU’s efforts to establish robust data privacy laws across the Commonwealth through their "Data Privacy Now" initiative. He has testified extensively before municipalities warning against the unchecked expansion of these AI-powered systems.

Unlike traditional security cameras, Flock Safety’s ALPRs log the make, model, color, and license plate of every passing vehicle, effectively tracking the everyday movements of ordinary citizens. During a recent public hearing before the Quincy City Council, Epstein cautioned lawmakers about the reality of this technology.

"This technology amounts to dragnet surveillance," Epstein testified in Quincy. "It collects data on all of us... the most important thing to understand is that this is location-tracking technology, and that's why this technology implicates our constitutional rights."

The ACLU has consistently highlighted that Flock Safety incentivizes police departments to pool their local data into a nationwide network. Because Massachusetts currently lacks statewide legislative guardrails regarding how ALPR data is retained and shared, municipalities are left vulnerable. Out-of-state agencies—and in some cases, federal immigration enforcement—have historically exploited these loopholes to access the location data of vulnerable communities, reproductive care patients, and everyday residents.

Furthermore, Epstein has warned city councils that the technology was rolled out across the country "without any kind of meaningful democratic consent." He argues that until strict guardrails are enacted at the state level, the safest route for municipalities is to ban the technology outright or institute strict ordinances that give the community true oversight over police surveillance tools.

As Medway residents prepare to vote on November 9, understanding the scope and risks of this technology is vital. All community members are encouraged to attend this free educational session to hear directly from one of the state's leading privacy advocates,ask questions, and learn exactly what is at stake for our civil liberties.

Event Details: